Conformity prevails when false beliefs carry no personal costs to the believer

Evidence

The Semmelweis case is different. There is no doubt that Semmelweis’s hand-washing practice had dramatic real-world consequences—so it might seem surprising that physicians nonetheless conformed rather than try the promising new practice. But notice that the physicians themselves were not the ones at risk of death. Neither were their friends, relatives, or members of their social circles, as the patients in their clinics were generally poor. If the consequences of their choices were more personal, they might have ignored the reputational risks of admitting that their hands were unclean and listened to Semmelweis. Likewise, if we offered Trump supporters one thousand dollars to choose the photo with more people in it, more of them might get it right. (Relatedly, social psychologists have shown that when monetary incentives are offered to those who get the correct answer in the Asch test, conformity is less prevalent.) — Cailin O’Connor and James Owen Weatherall, The Misinformation Age, 306

Categorization

• XREF: Explains why false beliefs flourish on others’ behalf (childbed-fever patients, inauguration claims) — the believer pays no price — doubling as an account of why misinformation thrives among those insulated from consequences. — connects to: Beliefs with no practical stakes function as pure social identity signals — Cailin O’Connor and James Owen Weatherall, The Misinformation Age: How False…, 308; Anti-vaxxers exploit tight-knit migrant cliques vulnerable to conformity — Cailin O’Connor and James Owen Weatherall, The Misinformation Age: How False…, 485; False beliefs mostly persist through social transmission, not individual failings — Cailin O’Connor and James Owen Weatherall, The Misinformation Age: How False…, 30 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• False beliefs mostly persist through social transmission, not individual failings #expands (0.85) — Cailin O’Connor and James Owen Weatherall, The Misinformation Age, 30
• Conformity benefits both individuals and societies and does not imply weakness #expands (0.85) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1899
• Ancient sceptics conformed to local custom while rejecting underlying beliefs #exemplifies (0.80) — Bertrand Russell, History of Western Philosophy, 960
• Conformity is normal rather than a psychological weakness #expands (0.80)
• Intrinsic religion reflects in-group conformity, not reduced prejudice #exemplifies (0.75) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2548